PRICELESS

Harking back to the glory days of the likes of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S and even Hitchcock’s TO CATCH A THIEF... this is a tantalising treat of a movie which, while overtly rom-com predictable remains, it's still... PRICELESS!

By Oliver Pfeiffer /

PRICELESS is a delightfully light French romantic comedy bursting with class. It boasts the lovely and always watchable Audrey Tautou as Irène, a sexy gold-digger with a relentless habbit of airing and withering away rich elderly men€™s wallets. It also co-stars Gad Elmaleh as the shy lovestruck waiter cum dog walker Jean who makes the unlikely impression on her. Their first meeting is a classic case of mistaken identity, as the downtrodden Jean is taken for a jet-setting millionaire by Irène, following a drunken birthday celebration in the resides of the empty hotel bar in which he works. So naturally in order to draw the lady€™s attention Jean plays along with the unlikely incarnation, by providing a suave impersonation of a rich playboy who proceeds to sweep Irène off her feet - leading all the way to the bedroom. However when Irène later learns of Jean€™s true lowly occupation her interest sways for the attention of the next prosperous gentlemen she happens upon. Inevitatably Jean is smitten with Irène and with nothing to his name but a less than modest saving account, he quits his job and goes on a mission to track the girl of his dreams down no matter what the considerable finaincial consequences. Harking back to the glory days of the likes of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY€™S and even Hitchcock€™s TO CATCH A THIEF, this is effortlessly chic in both its classic bleached-out and stylised colour design that effortlessly frames the interiors of the glamorous posh Parisian hotel and exterior French Riviera setting, to its smart sassy and seductive exchanges from its quirky cast. Although Elmaleh appears to borrow his prankish demur from Rowan Atkinson, he is instantly likable as the foppish Jean and there€™s an instant spark emitted between the two characters which puts the recent dampened likes of Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker€™s odd coupling partnering in SMART PEOPLE to real shame. The most enjoyable scenes come courtesy of Irène€™s spolit embroilment of Jean€™s minor finances, which sees the lovestruck whimp agree to her hefty spending sprees for the opportunity to remain sheepishly within her own company. Lucklily he soon smartens up and following an encounter with an attractive rich older women (who proceeds to spoil him rotten) plays the cards to his own liking in order to win over Irène€™s heart. O.K. the throwaway message that €˜money can€™t buy love€™ is obviously cliché ridden, and we have seen this sort of odd couple/opposites attract love story more times than we care to mention but there€™s something kept persuasively fresh and vibrant in PRICELESS that keeps it from diverting our attention. Perhaps it€™s the brisk pace, which whip pans from one comedic set-up to the next or Tautou€™s teasing and revealing wardrobe which shows she has certainly matured since her kooky AMELIE days. Apparently this film is an update of the 1932 Ernest Lubitsch directed TROUBLE IN PARADISE, so it was ripe for reappraisal. One of the things that could go against this film in terms of reaching a wider audience is the prospect of €˜a subtitled film€™ but if this is cinemagoers feeble excuse to avoid this delightful French comedy then more fool them as they will be missing out on a tantalising treat of a movie which, while overtly rom-com predictable remains, dare I say it, Priceless!

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